Vacuum cleaner



May 28, 1929. J, HI CQDR|K 1,714,497

, VACUUM CLEANER Original Filed Feb. 8, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet l WITNESSES.- INVENToR:

2"' n CM 64;

. BY I l l l l ATTORNEY.

May 28, 1929. J, H, 0DR|K 1,714,497

VACUUM CLEANER Original Filed Feb. 8, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNES srs 59 JNVENToR:

WW ATTORNEY.

May 28, 1929. J, H, ODR|K 1,714,497

VACUUM CLEANER Original Filed Feb. 8, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 WITNESSES INVENTOR Lamb@ Il, Y ATTl I' Patented May 28, 1929.

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. CODRICK, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

VACUUM CLEANER.

Application led February 8, 1927, Serial No. 166,615. Renewed March 29, 1929.

This invention relates to vacuum cleaners.

rlhe particular vacuum cleaner contemplated is one which comprises a brush for loosening the dirt in the nap of the carpet, a fan for creating suction to lift the loosened dirt from the carpet and a motor for operating the brush and fan and for propelling the cleaner.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved vacuum cleaner.

Another object of the invention is to provide a suction nozzle with a suction mouth disposed on each sidepf the brush and so arranged that the mouth which follows the brush is always open while the other mouth .is closed, thereby concentrating the suction at the place desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for cleaning the brush without the necessity of removing the same from the nozzle.

'According to the invention the vacuum cleaner has the usual sweeping brush, suction fan and motor for operating the same, a suction nozzle divided so as to form a suction mouth on each side and the ends of the brush, means for alternately opening the mouth which follows the brush and closing the other mouth, and propelling wheels operated by the motor.

The drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention and the views therein are as follows:-

Figure 1 is a bottom plan View of a vacuum cleaner embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view, taken throu h the center of the nozzle looking from t e front, and

Figure 3 a fra mentary side view of the device shown in igure 1, certain parts being` broken away.

i'gure 4 is a perspective view of a unit in which the cleaning brush is mounted, certain parts being broken away,

Figure 5 a top ,plan view of a member forming one end of the unit shown in Figure 4,

Figure 6 an end view of the member shown in Figure 5, and

Figure 7 a side view of the member shown in Figure 6.

As vacuum cleaners arel well known in the art and as my invention has been shown embodied in a vacuum cleaner; such as that' fully illustrated and described in my copending application Serial No. 166,614,1led

A shaft 25 are rotatable.

February 8, 1927, only such views have been shown as are necessary for a full understanding of the invention herein.

Referring now more in detail to the drawings, the vacuum cleaner has a housing l() mounted on rear wheels 11 and front wheels 12. 4The front end of housing 10 is closed by a nozzle 13 and an outlet 14 is formed in its rear end, instead of at the side of the housing as is customary in the conventional vacuum cleaner. The cleaner illustrated is of the power propelled type and movement is imparted to rear wheels 1l by a motor (not shown) operatively connected to rear axle 15. A beveled gear 16 is rigidly mounted on rear axle 15 and meshes with a pinion 17 secured on one end of a longitudinal shaft 18 having a beveled gear 19 mounted on its other end and adapted to mesh with a beveled pinion 20 mounted on one end of a transverse shaft 2l having a pinion 22 secured to its other end. Pinion 22 meshes with an idler gear 23 which meshes with a gear 24 rigidly secured to one end of the shaft 25 on which brush 26 is mounted. It is thus evident that, as rear axle 15 is rotated, brush 26 will` be rotated at a higher rate of speed due to the gear ratios.

Brush 26 is mounted in and forms a part of a unit 27 having an end member 28, a similar end member 29, and a shield 30. End members 28 and 29 each have an outer wall and an inner wall connected to each other by a short diaphragm in which the ends of These end members are alike with the exception that the diaphragm in end member 29 is partly cut away to accommodate gear 24, which is rotatable between the outer and inner walls of this member, and a flange 31 formed on one edge -of the outer member and adapted to close the bottom of the slot in the side wall of the nozzle in which one edge of gear 22 rotates, as shown in Figure 1.

Shield 30 is rigidly secured to the inner walls of end members 28 and 29 and holds them in spaced relation with one another. It consists of two similar half shields forming a U-shaped shield having a slot along its top through which a comb 32 extends and the teeth of which are adapted to be engaged by the bristles on brush 26. A valve member 33 is preferably formedintegral with comb 32 and pivoted on a rod 34 slidably mounted in holes 35, formed in the tops of end members 28 and 29. Rod v34 is provided with a lat handle 34a by means of which it may be withdrawn so that comb 32 may be removed from the shield and cleaned. In order to remove rod 34, it is necessary to notch valve member 33, consequently handle 34a is made flat and adapted to fill the space between the bottom of this notch and the top of end member 29. For the sake of simplicity, the bristles of brush 26 have been shown in widely spaced tufts in Figures 1, 2 and 4 but, in practice, the bristles are secured in spiral grooves formed on the core of the brush, or a closely tufted brush may be used in order that bristles will at all times be in contact with the teeth on comb 32 in order to hold same in a fixed position, as will hereinafter be described.

-End member 28 has a sliding fit in one end of nozzle 13 and is held against lateral movement by its sides engaging the front and rear walls of the nozzle and against u ward movement by its top abutting a shou der 36 formed in the end wall. End member 29 is similarly fitted in the opposite end of nozzle 13, but flange 31 has a sliding fit between the end wall of the nozzle and. the side of the slot in which pinion 22 rotates.

In their uppermost position, where they are.

held by countersunk head screws 37, the bottoms of both end members are flush with the lower edge of nozzle 13.

The lower edge of shield 30 is flush with the lower edge of nozzle 13 so that, when unit 27 is in place, a narrow suction mouth 38 is formed between shield 30 and the front of nozzle 13 and a second narrow suction mouth 39 formed between shield 30 and the rear of nozzle 13. A suction opening is provided between the ends of the brush and the ends of the nozzle by the space between the outer and inner walls of end members 28 and 29 in order to provide a greater suction area at this point and assist the suction in suction mouths 38 and 39 to clean close to furniture and walls.

The invention has been illustrated as being embodied in a power driven vacuum cleaner having a reversible motor and reversible fan and with brush 26 operatively connected to the motor. By referring to Figure 3, it will be seen that when brush 26 rotates in an anti-clockwise direction, the bristlesl will force comb 32 forwardly and cause valve member 33 to close suction mouth 39, causing the greater part of the air to be drawn through suction mouth 38. Likewise, when the brush rotates in the opposite direction, suction mouth 38 will be closed and a greater amount of air drawn through suction mouth 39. As the space within shield 30 is not affected by the action of the fan, the cross-sectional area of the nozzle opening, through which the greater amount of air is drawn, is greatly reduced so that any degree of suction desired may be obtained.

With this arrangement, the brush loosens the dirt and lays the nap of the fabric `at an angle so that the dirt is exposed and is readily drawn through the narrow nozzle opening by the suction.

The valve member 33 will alternately open and close the respective suction mouths 38 and 39 and as the brush rotates in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the cleaner, the mouth at the rear of the brush will always be open and will collect the dirt and dust loosened thereby.

Of course, the vacuum cleaner illustrated may be modified in various ways without departing from the invention herein disclosed and hereafter claimed.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

I claim:

,1. In a vacuum cleaner adapted for alternate forward and backward movement and having a brush7 a suction nozzle having a suction mouth disposed on each side of said brush, and means for alternately opening and closing the mouth which is at the rear of Vthe brush and simultaneously closing and opening the other mouth.

2. In a vacuum cleaner having a brush alternately rotatable in a direction opposing the alternately forward and backward motion of said cleaner, a suction nozzle having a suction mouth disposed on each side of said brush, and means for alternately opening and closing the mouth which is at the rear of the brush and simultaneously closing and opening the other mouth.

3. In aV vacuum cleaner having a brush alternately rotatable in a direction opposing the alternately forward and backward motion of said cleaner, a suction nozzle having a suction mouth disposed on each side of said brush and partly around the ends thereof, and means for alternately opening and closing the mouth which is at the rear of the brush and simultaneously closing and opening the other mouth.

4c. In a vacuum cleaner adapted for alternate forward and backward movement and having a brush, a suction nozzle having a suction mouth disposed on each side of said brush, and a valve for alternately openingand closing the mouth which is at the rear of the brush and simultaneously closing and opening the other mouth.

5. In a vacuum cleaner adapted for alternate forward and backward movement and having a brush, av suction nozzle having a suction mouth disposed on each side of said brush, a valve pivotally mounted in the nozzle for alternately opening and closing the mouth which is at the rear of the brush and simultaneously closing and opening the other mouth.

6. In a vacuum cleaner having a brush alternately rotatable in a. direction opposing the alternately forward and backward motion of said cleaner, a suction nozzle having a suction mouth disposed. on each side of said brush, means for alternately opening and closing the mouth which is at the rear of the brush and simultaneously closing and opening the other mouth, and means on said last means for cleaning said brush during its rotation. f

7. In a vacuumy cleaner having a nozzle with an opening and a brush rotatable in the opening, means for reducing the cross-sec tional area of the opening including a shield mounted over the brush centrally of the nozzle and obstructing a substantial portion fof the opening, whereby a narrow opening is formed at either side of the shield, and

means operated by the brush for alternately closing said openings dependent upon the direction of rotation.

8. In a vacuum cleaner having a nozzle with an opening and a power driven brush rotatable in the opening, means Jfor reducing the cross-sectional area of the opening including end members mounted in the nozzle at each end of the opening and forming bearings for the brush, and a shield rigidly connected to the end members and obstructing a substantial portion of the opening; the bottoms of the end members and shield being substantially flush with the bottom of the nozzle whereby a narrow'y opening is formed at either side of the shield.

9. In a vacuum cleaner having a nozzle with an opening and a brush rotatable in lthe opening; means for reducing the crosssectional area of the opening including end members, having inner and outer walls, mounted in the nozzle at each end of the opening and forming bearings for the brush,

and a shield rigidly `"connected to the end Vhaving a nozzle with an opening therein,

means for reducing the cross-sectional area of the opening including a unit demountably secured centrally in the nozzle and comprising end members having outer and inner walls, a power driven brush rotatable between the end members, a shield over the brush and rigidly secured to the end members, and means to rotate the brush; the bottoms of the end members and shield being substantially flush with the bottom of the nozzle whereby narrow passages are Jformed between the sides of the shield and the sides of the nozzle and between the outer and inner Walls of the end members.

1l. In a vacuum cleaner having a nozzle, a brush inthe nozzle, means to rotate the brush in either'direction, and a shield over the brush obstructing a substantial portion of the openinOr in the nozzle whereby a narrowpassage 1s formed at each side of the shield; means to close the passage at either side of the shield including a valve member hinged to the shield, and a comb formed on the valve member and depending into the shield whereby ythe bristles on the brush will engage the comb and cause the Valve member to close one of the passages.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication.'

JOHN H. CODRICK. 

